State Dining Room, Malacañan Palace
November 10, 2023

“I am very optimistic that your visit here today will be a very important start to that developing relation…in deepening relationship between our two countries,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remarked as he reaffirmed the strong bilateral ties between the Philippines and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste during the visit of President José Ramos-Horta at the Malacañan Palace.

In their bilateral meeting, the President expressed willingness to explore more areas of cooperation with the Timorese government in order to expand the relations between the two nations.

“I hope that these exchanges will be, at least, this visit of yours, will be the beginning of more exchanges between our two countries,” he said.

The Chief Executive underscored the Philippines’ constant support towards Timor-Leste over the past years, especially in its journey to becoming a full-pledged member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He added that this is necessary to further maintain peace and stability throughout the region.

In response, President Ramos-Horta thanked President Marcos Jr. for the warm hospitality during his visit and expressed gratitude towards the Philippines for its vote to include Timor-Leste in the regional bloc, which will be realized by 2025.

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